Briefings and responses

Adult social care is a vital council service that helps to transform people’s quality of life. It supports adults of all ages with a range of different needs and their carers.

In this paper, we are summarising for councils both the “known” and “unknowns” under a ‘no deal’ scenario for local government from national advice.

As the Withdrawal Agreement Bill passes through Parliament, this briefing highlights the key opportunities and risks for communities and councils in advance of exit day on 31 January 2020.

At the LGA we will be helping to celebrate and honour the accomplishments of black Britons by sharing councillor perspectives on the importance of Black History Month and the vital contributions of black councillors to our local communities.

Councils and the LGA are committed to continuous improvement. We welcome anything which will add value to that work, and government should be clear and realistic in its expectations of local government. A transparent, consistent, timely and proportionate approach must be taken in the small number of cases where a council is at risk of not meeting its Best Value duty.

Many councils have been successful in developing innovative, cross-organisational approaches to delivering welfare reform locally. However, there have been substantial challenges presented by the scale of the reforms, including the introduction of UC alongside the wider reforms.

We want every resident to have a good quality of life and to aspire to improve their circumstances regardless of their background or where they live.

Councils, working with central government, national partners and regional bodies, have shown great leadership in building additional capacity for children from the Calais camp at fast pace

The Chancellor’s announcement in March 2023 of 30 hours of free childcare for every child with working parents aged from nine months to five years means we need to understand what works and what will ensure councils can deliver on their sufficiency duty. Changes to the early years system should not just be seen as quick fixes around the sides: a more holistic view of what works, what would support the workforce, and how to ensure there is high quality early education and childcare should be considered.

Our Autumn Statement 2023 On-the-day briefing summarises the key announcements for councils and provides an initial LGA view.